Tea has excellent aroma absorption characteristics, and fresh flowers like jasmine release strong floral scent. These two opposite characters complement each other beautifully, when it comes to the scenting of tea.
When it comes to traditional scenting of jasmine tea, there are around eight individual steps involved - 1. Preparation of tea base 2. sorting of jasmine flowers 3. Weighing of jasmine flowers 4. Scenting 5. Ventilate 6. Removal of flowers 7. Roasting/dry 8. Final scenting
Apart of from the preparation steps 1-3, we count Step 4 to 7 as one scenting cycle.
Trivia: How to designate the grade of jasmine tea? In judging the quality of a jasmine tea, we are not just looking for the aroma strength - this can be enhanced relatively easily with repeated mechanical processing or substitutional/artificial scent. The resulting jasmine tea from these non-natural scenting has sometimes overpowering scent that is flat and dull.. One important sensory test is whether there is sufficient liveliness and depth to the aroma, which are consistent with skilful craft and quality of ingredients used.
Step 1: Preparation of tea base
What happens in scenting is a physical transfer of natural jasmine oil from the fresh flowers onto the tea. And so the scenting process involves mixing the two ingredients together and creating an efficient transfer contact surface.
The tea base to which the aroma is to be absorbed needs to be sufficiently dry for the adsorption to happen.
So, depending on the temperature and humidity of the day, combined with conditions of tea base, the craftsmen may first roast the tea base quickly as a preparation for scenting.
Step 2: Sorting of jasmine flowers
Freshly picked unopened jasmine flowers during the day slowly open in the night. At night, when flowers open to around 50-60% of fully blossomed state, they are ready for scenting.
Jasmine flowers are very delicate. When they are collected in bamboo baskets, flowers need to be constantly ventilated - done by hand lifting flowers in the air - throughout the storing period to make sure no heat build up inside. Without these careful ventilation steps, flowers wilt very quickly prior to scenting.
Sorting of flowers are completed using bamboo sieves - there are 13 different mesh sizes to choose from. Craftsmen rotate the sieve tray in a continuous motion to remove any unopened flowers, broken stems/leaves etc from optimum opened flowers. These sorting steps are done with much efficiency with minimum damage to the flowers, thus prolonging the lifetime of picked flowers.
Step 3: Weighing
Craftsmen then decide on the ratio of jasmine flowers to tea depending on the grade of jasmine tea desired - higher ratio of flower:tea, better the results (usually, but not always).
One way to 'test' the skill of a jasmine craftsman is to ask his/her loading ratio for a given jasmine tea made - more skilled craftsman can achieve lower loading, with better results.
(Photo: jasmine flowers laid out side by side with white tea, ready to be scented)
Step 4&5 : Scenting Yin Hua “窨花” and ventilation Tong Hua “通花”
Arguably the most important part: scenting - the key is to make sure two ingredients are mixed thoroughly together in an even distributed manner.
- this is easier said than done (!) -
Craftsmen use shovels to manually conduct the mixing in large scale, and for smaller batches mixed skilfully by hand on a flat bamboo basket.
(Photo: mixing of jasmine flowers with tea)
Because adsorption and transfer of jasmine oil to the tea emit heat, the mixed batch needs to be periodically lifted into air to ventilate keeping flowers alive - a process known as Tong Hua “通花”
Flowers cannot survive above 40°C, and this may sounds high, but in fact during the summer months in the south China region where most jasmine teas are made, it is relatively easy to exceed 40°C in the workshops even during the night.
The optimum transfer window is said to be somewhere between 38-40°C, so no A/C either.. ventilations are done through fans attached to the wall.
Even though this temperature range is narrow, but not a single skilled craftsmen we’ve seen monitor these temperatures using equipment. So, how do they do it?
(Photo: piled up jasmine flowers with tea during scenting process)
The craftsmen judge the condition and whether to increase ventilation or not, by simply observing the flowers’ state in the batch - a knowhow only taught from master to protege through years of practice.
Asked whether there is written rules on when to stop the process, the answers from these craftsmen have always been along the lines of “it depends on the batch and day”. This is not to keep anything secret.
It turns out, just like other crafted teas, there is no standardised process (of course, there shouldn’t be as each batch of harvested tea is unique..) and the optimum temperature regime suggested above is more of a ‘recent’ study to include it in the textbooks…
Step 6: Removal of flowers
At the end of each scenting cycle, flowers are separated from the tea using sieves. The scent absorbed tea now weighs heavier than before from the newly added oil/moisture.
Trivia: Why remove the flowers if the entire process is about transferring scent to tea? Now, you may have seen jasmine flowers in your cup of tea... Jasmine belongs to a type of flower that loses its aroma and essence oil after opening. The essence oil is gradually lost in the air as the flower opens, so the dried flower(s) in your cup has long lost its aroma, and is only there for visual aesthetic. In fact, high quality jasmine tea requires removal of these unwanted jasmine flowers after each scenting to preserve the taste of tea.
(Photo: removing jasmine flowers and re-scenting)
Step 7: Roasting
Removing the excess moisture of tea makes it shelf-stable for storage.
Scenting process is then repeated multiple times with fresh batch of jasmine flowers in every cycle.
One scenting cycle takes around ONE whole day. Obviously with more cycles, more time and laborious the process becomes…
One cannot be too complacent even with the last step. As it is often the case, over-roasting destroys the aroma irreparably so great care is taken by craftsmen to the very last step.
Step 8: Final scenting (optional)
Depending on the state of tea, the craftsmen may choose to add a final scenting step in which additional batch of flowers are mixed with roasted tea to give it an extra lift. After several hours, these flowers are removed and tea is left to dry naturally.
On average, newly made jasmine tea is slightly ‘wet’ in comparison to other non-scented teas - a reason why some jasmine teas are said to have shorter shelf lives.
Finally, there are some illustrative guides (again, not standardised) to the number of cycles for each grade of jasmine tea:
Normal grade 2-4 cycles
High grade 5-7 cycles
Special grade 8-9 cycles
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Imari porcelain as it is known around the world, a name attributed to the historical sea port once used for shipping these precious white porcelains to the outside world, reached its peak of popularity among the porcelain collectors of European royalty families in the 18th century.
Arita in Kyushu is a plain surrounded by mountains on all sides. The area is particular suited for porcelain making because of its special volcanic clay.
A special ingredient called Kaolinite 高岭土 is needed in the clay to make high quality white porcelain. And like the kaolinite-rich soil of Jing De Zhen (another World famous porcelain making city of China), Arita’s volcanic sediment formed by extreme pressure exerted by two colliding tectonic plates create natural Kaolinite within the already impurity-free volcanic soil.
(Photo: an old historical excavation site for volcanic clay in Arita. Kaolinite rich soil has characteristic yellow-brown colour)
Using hydraulic powers from nearby river water wheels, the local craftsmen were able to grind these rocks into softer clay form to transform into different forms and shapes for porcelain making.
Kaolinite alone is not enough to make white porcelain, however.
As it turns out, a special firing technic developed in China, called reduction is needed in the firing process to reduce ‘wet’ porcelain clay removing its oxygen to turn into white porcelain.
At the beginning, Old Imari porcelain was influenced significantly by Jing De Zhen porcelain and followed the ‘Qing Hua 青花’ artistic style (also known in Japanese as ‘Sometsuke 染付’). In this style, blue celadon coloured motifs are beautifully painted onto white porcelain base.
Through the reduction firing process, cobalt oxide of the blue celadon paint is reduced, turning from cobalt oxide to cobalt, revealing its characteristic blue hues.
Subsequently, the Imari porcelain received much attention after exhibiting in the Paris Expo in 1800s, and the Dutch East India company traded most of these Old Imari porcelain into Europe. To cater the local market in Europe, the style and decorations of Imari changed from the Qing Hua style to more extravagant styles incorporating gold and other colourful patterns.
(Photo: the blue colour of motif comes from cobalt oxide, which is closer to black colour when painted, and turns to blue after reduction process in firing kiln)
(Photo: exporting style of Imari porcelain changed to gold and other colourful patterns)
Today, long gone are the days of exporting Old Imari porcelain to European royalties, but there are still handful of studios and craftsmen in Arita town continuing the tradition of craft. We caught up with Mr. Moronuma, who is the master porcelain maker at the local Arita kiln.
(Photos: walking along the historical Arita town of porcelain)
Moronuma san is a fourth generation of pottery craftsman in his family. His grandfather used to make large decorative Imari porcelain vase and plates, and sold them to American forces staying at nearby base as he recalls.
Today, these large plates are much harder to make using the modern kiln or ‘Kama’ as they are known in Japan. The old kama constructed with traditional bricks and clay had better heat retention properties. Nowadays, plates pass certain size are prone to crack after firing due to even small fluctuations in temperature in the kiln.
(Photo: Mr. Moronuma at his pottery studio in Arita)
Inheriting and continuing the craft of Imari porcelain making had not been on Moronuma san personal plan, as it turns out. In fact, he studied abroad as a student and made a living in America before eventually coming back his hometown of Arita.
Combining oversea influences with modern Japanese artistic sense, his pottery studio is full of interesting designs and motifs.
(Photo: Moronuma san working on the wet clay for making Imari porcelain. The wet clay has to be dried slowly in air before being shaped into desired form)
Here is an example. The motif was inspired by the Persian temple inscription found on pillars and windows. Painted with traditional Sometsuke style, this bowl beautifully infuses two contrasting cultures and artistic styles.
(Photo: a photo of sometsuke Imari porcelain, painted with Persian inspired motif)
Interestingly, the development of ‘Qing Hua’ style or ‘Sometsuke’ style of porcelain would not have been possible without Persia. Cobalt oxide, as it turns out, was a precious ingredient that can be only obtained by importation from Persia into China, Japan in the old days.
The ancient exporting days of Old Imari may be long gone, but the craft is certainly alive and well in this charming and close knit community of Arita town.
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Having originated from the southern Chinese province of Fujian, jasmine tea was once presented to the Imperial Household in Beijing, and gained wider acceptance as everyday tea drink among the public there.
(Read more about the major tea producing regions and how people consume teas in China here.)
An outstanding jasmine tea is characterised by a silky smooth feel at the beginning, followed by long lingering floral, but not overpowering, aroma in the mouth, and a sweet aftertaste.
The sensory stimulation of an excellent jasmine tea is so distinct that it is usually said to stay with your memory for a long time.
At the basic level, jasmine tea is made of green tea as base, that had been scented with freshly blossomed jasmine flowers.
The traditional scenting process is completely manual without any chemicals, and has been passed down for generations.
Achieving the highest quality jasmine tea requires three things: top quality jasmine flowers, suitable green tea base, and most crucially skilled craftsman for the scenting process. More on the scenting process later.
Jasmine flowers were said to have been carried from India/Pakistan into China, probably together with Buddhism, and have been predominantly planted and thrive in the warm regions such as Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong etc.
((Photo: double layer Jasmine flower now dominates in the Fujian region)
Principally, there are three distinctive varieties of jasmine plant - single layer, double layer and multiple layered jasmine. As the name suggests, the single layer jasmine flowers have only one layer of flower petals vs. double and multiple layered jasmine.
Fujian region is renowned for producing the highest quality, single layer jasmine flowers, which have superior floral aroma characteristics out of all three types.
(Photo: single layer jasmine flower. Although these have superior aroma, single layer jasmine flowers are more susceptible to cold, rainfall, and generally low yield)
But because single layer jasmines are more susceptible to cold weather, rain fall and insects, single layered jasmine has been in rapid decline, and became out of favour to local plantations due to lower yield…
Double layer variety is now the most widely grown jasmine flowers in Fujian for making jasmine tea.
(Photo: multi-layer jasmine co-planted with double layer jasmine in the field)
The double layer variety does have its own advantages when it comes to scenting - it releases its floral aroma scent slower in comparison to single layer variety, and thus the scenting process can be prolonged.
(Photo: a lady working on the jasmine field. Picking fresh jasmine flowers is a laborious work requiring constant attention to the condition of flowers, and the weather. Daily shifts can last as long as 5-6hr long with breaks in-between.)
Ms Yang, a worker at the jasmine field, has been working as jasmine flower picker for the past 15 years. We caught up with her during her lunch break.
Her day starts around 5:30am. She checks the weather for any sun/rain in the morning, and coordinates with her colleagues via her phone before work during the summer months.
“If the conditions are right, we start picking as early as around 9am” she says. But the gradual and continuous shifts in the weather in the recent years in Fujian and much of the south China, has had an impact on her work. “Over the last couple of years, we seen more and more extreme weathers in the summer, when the flowers are in season.”
This summer, the weather is colder, and with heavier rain fall compared to average. This has contributed to a significant drop in the overall quality of jasmine and their yield. Ultimately, this is reflected in the spike in market price of the jasmine available.
Ms Yang is paid not by the hour, but by the amount of flowers picked each day, plus reward bonus for any higher quality of flowers picked. Already there has been a decline in the number of workers coming for work as flower pickers.
And if climate continues to worsen or fluctuates significantly in the future, this is likely to have a detrimental impact on the jasmine industry here.
A very small amount of jasmine flowers make into the retail market as personal, in-car accessories because of their refreshing aroma. In the towns of Fuzhou, these fresh flowers are sold commonly in small bags or bracelets in market stalls during the summer.
(Photo: a seller packing fresh jasmine into bags for customers in a Fuzhou market)
The jasmine flowers are picked just before they blossom, as unopened flower buds. Skilled pickers judge when the best timings for picking are everyday during the summer season, and this is heavily weather dependent and affects the prices of jasmine (and jasmine tea) available each year.
(Photo: another worker on the jasmine field. Jasmine fields are often positioned on the foot of hills, giving them warm and mild conditions for flowers to blossom)
Floral aroma content within is well preserved inside unopened flowers before they are collected into bamboo baskets for scenting later in the evening within the same day.
(Photo: flowers are collected into basket, and waiting to be paired with their tea base)
…read the scenting process here.
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(Photo: much of Yunnan's tea fields have been unperturbed, and have been left to grow wild in the nature)
For passionate teaheads, Yunnan and the pre-historical region of Xi Shuan Banna represents the symbolic status of the ultimate pilgrimage site.
Xi Shuan Banna is the southern part of Yunnan, and an area predominantly occupied by ethnic Chinese of different cultures.
"Xi Shuan 西双" is a local ethnic word meaning "12", and "Banna 版纳" meaning "plain field (盆地)" - literally, 12 plain fields in a mountainous area.
(Photo: local tea farmer standing on a tree trunk reaching to the thousand year old tea tree in Xi Shuan Banna)
Here, the average age of ‘old tea trees’ = 古茶树 is said to be around 1,000-2,000 years old. With the oldest tea trees dating back to around 3,500 years old (!)
To any doubters out there who think tea grows on a “bush”, he or she should come to Yunnan to check out why it is a tea ‘tree’ rather than ‘bush’…
In defence of the doubters, tea trees usually grow slowly compared to other types of tree and it is ‘unusual’ to find them growing higher than 1.5m in conventional tea estates… Without seeing these gigantic pre-historical tea trees, it’d be difficult to imagine them as trees…
It’s not just the age of trees that is unique in Yunnan.
Unlike other parts of China, the tea trees in Yunnan are predominantly Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica variety, or conventionally known in China as the ‘Big Leaf 大叶种' variety.
(Photo: a leafset of a 'big leaf' variety tea tree in Yunnan)
The other famous tea producing region sharing the same variety with Yunnan is Darjeeling, India.
Assamica varietal is generally considered to have stronger tannin-like taste profile compared with the Sinesis varietal, probably due to difference in the intrinsic nutritional composition of these two varieties.
(Photo: comparing Yunnan Assamica var. to a match stick)
Shifting attention to the people growing tea here, you will soon realise something else that is unique in Yunnan - the diverse cultures of ethnic groups that reside in this region.
(Photo: a local Dai-Zu ethnic Chinese lady wearing a daily dress)
Yunnan is home to around 52 ethnic groups, each with distinctive language, culture and custom. Even though many ethnic men have grown to wear modern clothes, you can still find many local women wearing traditional colourful clothing that has been hand stitched.
(Photo: couple of Dai-Zu dresses on display on the wall in a local seamstress shop)
(Photo: traditional Dai-zu village with characteristic architecture)
One thing that harmoniously binds everyone regardless of their background is the production of tea.
......read here about the type of tea made in Yunnan.
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From a layman perspective, you will be forgiven to think a liquor bottle as an object and therefore lifeless. And just like you, I had the same thought before meeting Mr. Lin. Not until, I see it first hand, how he brings these apparently lifeless bottles into life with bonsai art.
We are either side of a tea table in a purposely built small tea room on the roof top of Mr. Lin’s house in Anxi, China. Anxi, of course, is a town in south China that is renowned for growing Tieguanyin (aka Iron Goddess). I first heard about Mr. Lin from a local tea producer who shared the story of a talented but rather unusual artist in town with me - and I couldn’t resist to find out myself.
Mr Lin is considered to be a pioneer in the field of bonsai landscape with liquor bottle. Before the mass-production of now ubiquitous glass bottles for liquors, there were individually crafted ceramic bottles of various shapes and sizes in China. Every bottle is unique and often with imperfections, but it is these imperfections that inspired Mr. Lin. “I have been collecting various bottles because I admire the aesthetic beauty of the ceramic material, and how they change colour and shape, sometimes in the form of cracks, over time.” Curiously, there I find the similarity of his admiration for ceramics to that of a teapot collector.
Mr Lin is famous for maintaining a vast collection of artefact - so many items in fact it has turned his three-storey house into an impromptu museum locally. Many visitors from the Anxi region come to see his bonsai and collections of items that once was thought to be worthless and would most likely have been thrown out as rubbish. But not him. He treats each and every item with respect. As we walk around his house, he spots a waterwheel in the bonsai that is not turning, and immediately turned to fix the issue.
Bonsai is a time-intensive art form. Trees need to be carefully watered daily in the summer months and at least once a week in the winter. On top of that, each tree needs sufficient sun light, not too much and not too little, to thrive. At his veranda, a series of bonsai trees are lined up to soak up their daily dosage of sunlight. To shape a bonsai tree into the desired form takes even more dedication and time - one has to painstakingly trim, prune each branch to slowly grow into shape. “It’s about finding the balance of natural shape of the tree and that of the bottle.” he maintains.
Each bonsai landscape has its own natural proportions. It is at that point I realised that all the beautifully created landscapes in his house appeared natural to my eyes because each and every one of them have been carefully looked after by Mr. Lin to grow into their ‘natural’ proportions.
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Mr. Lin Ruiwen is a local bonsai artist and antique collector living in Anxi, China.
Note: the term Bonsai (a Japanese term adopted into English) is used interchangeably to describe Penzai in this article. Penzai is the traditional art form of landscapes in miniature originated in China and later brought to Japan.
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There is nothing plush or fancy in terms of the decor inside this intimate tea house. Rather it is one that has been carefully designed and fine-tuned over the course of three years by Kiya-san. Building on the guiding principles of Japanese artistic beauty - Wabi and Sabi, every inch of the tea room has a sense of calmness and formality at the same time.
Hoshino village is situated inside the city of Yame, in the middle of Kyushu island. Kyushu island in Japan is one of the renowned regions for making high-quality Sencha and Gyokuro green tea. Within Kyushu, Yame city has consistently ranked as a top Gyokuro producing area - its production volume is nowhere near the levels of Shizuoka or Kyoto, but the average price of Aracha (unrefined green tea) from this region is among the highest in Japan.
Kiya-san guides me to the beautifully crafted wooden counter seat overlooking the streams. The scenery is just serene but I can’t help worrying about how remote this location is to the typical tourist destinations, and the risks he is taking to open a tea house here. The place hasn’t been without incident either. As recently as 2012, the record rainfall in Kyushu saw local river overflow, damaging significant livelihoods in this area. “At one point, the water levels rose up to where we are standing here today. It’s a miracle that the tea house wasn’t washed away like many other properties nearby. So, I regard this miracle as signifying my duty to continue this tea house.”
He traces the starting point to his passion for tea and his desire to continuously innovate. “I think am in a uniquely privileged position where I can oversee the growing of tea locally and share tea with customers at the same time.” I watch him start the fire on the traditional Cha-Gama (cast iron pot for boiling water). “As CEO of a tea company, I am probably the only person who prepares teas in front of customers on a daily basis.” he jokes. It is probably true. Aside from running tea tasting courses, Kiya-san is heavily involved in the business of his local tea company - Kiya-Hoyuen, as well as collaborations with chefs and traditional Japanese Wagashi pastry chefs. He explains his philosophy is that having constant feedback from customers enables him to refine his tea as well.
A three-course tea menu is neatly handed to me over the counter. The starter is a cold infusion of Houyu Sencha, a blend specially created by Kiya-san using locally produced Sencha. It has a well balanced taste profile and the natural sweetness and umami of Sencha from this region comes through the chilled liquor effortlessly. Served in a specially designed pinot noir glass, the pristine clear green colour is instantly instagram-able.
The Yame region is surrounded by mountains on two sides and two main rivers stream through the town, creating soft water and soil that are suitable for growing high quality green tea. Combining this amazing terroir with the cultivar, Saemidori - a soft, sweet character cultivar makes the Gyokuro and Sencha from this area uniquely soft and rich in umami character compared to other Japanese green teas. However, the Yabukita cultivar is still dominant in the region because the Saemidori cultivar does not withstand frost, cold weather as well as the popular Yabukita cultivar, and Yabukita can re-grow even after a spring frost.
As we chat, Mr. Kiya is meticulously preparing my main course - Gyokuro. The tea connoisseurs among the readers will know how much focus is needed to prepare a proper Gyokuro, and it is clear that his skills shine through here. He relies on his palm to sense the right water temperature for infusion or even glancing at the watch. In the cup, the first infusion of this traditional Gyokuro has a clear almost transparent colour. “This is as concentrated as you can get from Gyokuro. The clear colour is because it is rich in amino acids, particularly theanine.”
A sip packs the punch of intense umami that in this concentrated form tastes savoury rather than sweet. A good tea is of course worth multiple infusions, and this Gyokuro is no exception. As we go through second and third infusions, the Gyokuro changes from the initial unique shaded-tea aroma (Nori-like) to smooth vegetal, closer to what you would expect from a Sencha.
To finish, he prepares a heart warming Hoji-cha that is full of roasted aroma and is also enhanced by being served in a unique porcelain cup specifically designed to maximise the aroma.
It’s incredible how fast time passes when chatting with Kiya-san. Our three-course tea tasting overran and became a 3hr-plus conversation about tea, culture, craft, pairings and so much more… He is truly knowledgeable and there was so much to learn from.
On my way out of the tea house, he pointed to the back yard. He proudly says that construction is under way to make way for cycling stands. “We get cyclists climbing through these mountains. Sometimes they stop by at the tea house, and this area will be for them.” As tea house experiences go, this is probably one of most exclusive in terms of hospitality that I have ever experienced and one that I will remember for a long time.
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Mr. Kiya Yasuhiko is the owner and CEO of Kiya-Hoyuen and Seisu-An (Tea House).
]]>Today we can trace the tea roots back to China thousands of years ago...
When tea was first shipped from China to the outside world in 1600s, trade was strictly restricted to a handful of ports. At the Amoy (Xiamen in today’s name) port in Fujian, tea was called tay (te) in the local dialect and from here tea was exported along the sea routes to European countries and later the Americas, and thus adopted the name tea.
The other land route started from Guangdong (or Canton in English) adopted cha, a local dialect pronounced in the region, countries like Korea, Japan, Russia, Turkey adopted this name instead. Note, Portugal despite its strong naval traditions adopted cha from Macau (neighbouring to Hong Kong) which was a Portuguese colony at the time.
It is also worth noting that in this first period of tea trade, exported teas were primarily of Single Origin (or Single Estate) as opposite to blends that developed later for tea bags.
]]>In the UK, we often hear the phrase 'Chinese tea'. While this may well refer to the tea that we consume in the Chinese restaurant or one made in the Greater China region, one needs to bear in mind that it is a rather vague terminology...
So, what kind of tea do people drink in China? The answer is NOT simple as you may think... With this vast area of tea growing regions come different local tea drinking traditions and preferences. In other words, the tea culture in China is a heterogeneous one, with moderate to strong local variations. For example, in Beijing you may find Jasmine tea being sold widely across local markets, but once moving to Shanghai, green teas such as LongJing (Dragon Well Green Tea) and Anji Baicha become the everyday drink of the locals there.
This striking differences in local tea culture is by and large result of geographical distances between cities/towns and the diversity of teas each region produces locally. Going back to the example of Beijing; it is a capital city situated North of the Northern borderline of tea growing limit - i.e. the climate is too cold to grow tea naturally in Beijing. Historically, tea made in the south China region, in particular Jasmine tea from Fujian have been transported to the capital for consumption there since at least 100-150 years ago. Shanghai is neighbour to several renowned green tea producing regions - Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and their close proximity to Shanghai allow tea merchants to sell high quality, seasonal green teas.
As you see from these two examples, there are types of tea that are made for consumption in local towns and cities of vicinity, and others that are specifically made for transportation to other cities. What's interesting is that even though these localised tea cultures have often been around for hundreds of years, there have been signs of shifting tea drinking trends particularly amongst the younger generations in recent years. Whether or not we see a convergence of tea cultures in China in the future is a question that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, this diversity of local tea cultures facilitates and supports the great variety of different teas that are made in Greater China.
South of the Northern tea growing border, there are 4 regions of tea producing areas in Greater China (illustrated map above).
Each of these regions produce different types of tea depending on the origins' terroir, craft heritage, and culture/market. Here, we briefly look at the types of tea made in each region.
Region A: JiangBei (North of Yangtze River) - mainly green and yellow
Region B: JiangNan (South of Yangtze River) - white, green, oolong, black, dark
Region C: XiNan (South West) - green, yellow, black, dark
Region D: Huanan (South China) - green, white, oolong, black, dark, jasmine etc
Note, redline represents the geographical Northern limit to growing tea due to cold climate.
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The craft involved in making White tea is one of the most delicate and preservative of its natural goodness. The tippy tea leaves are carefully hand plucked around end of April, and laid flat on the bamboo trays to wither in the sun light.
With their back facing the sun, these tea leaves are slowly dried, whilst absorbing all the goodness of natural sun rays. This slow natural processing preserve the liveliness of tea and create a uniquely delicate flavour.
Because of its delicate character, and relatively higher concentration of amino acids present within, White teas are best steeped with water temperatures around 70-80 degree Celcius. Higher brewing temperature can lead to bitterness in its taste.
]]>It was a cold and cloudy winter afternoon when we first arrived in the small county of Dehua.
The town looks deceptively mundane - just like any other towns of this size. "Is the tradition of making porcelain still alive today?" we asked.
Locals were quick to point us to the "Dragon kiln", located on the outskirts of town.
Perched on the hillside at a steep angle stands Yueji kiln - some 400 years old - and still being fired today. The kiln is made of several cocoon-shaped units, connected by a series of openings above ground for air circulation.
Ancient architects realised that the declivity of hillside led to improved quality of fired porcelain - a consequence of better air circulation from stack effect. Viewed from the above, the stepped kiln resembles shape of a dragon, hence its local name.
Porcelain pieces are packed inside “seggars” made of rough, baked clay. Reusable seggars serve to protect each piece from touching each other, and to stack up inside kiln where space is a premium.
Firing takes up to a week for the kiln to reach the requisite 1,400 to 1,435 degrees Celsius. During this time, piles of wood are replenished non-stop by kiln operators night and day.
Operators judged temperatures from the colour of the flames, viewed from small openings along the sidewall.
While the firing process is impressive, we were equally touched by the local artists.
“What keeps you going ?” we asked the 90 years old Dehua artist, who beautifully hand paints Shanshui on individual Dehua bowl with mao bi (Chinese calligraph brush).
“This is something I have been doing for my entire life. It keeps my focus, and I am not too bad at it,” he replied with a broad smile.
“We are all local here. I’ve seen my parents, grandparents doing it and we want to continue that tradition” said another 28 years old pottery artist, who has a small studio next to the kiln.
We didn’t find the masterpiece of Blanc de Chine that we were searching for, but instead we found a living artistic community that’s just as priceless.
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“The best teas never leave China…” the myth about fine teas is by and large true...
]]>Why?
A well crafted single origin tea enjoys a price premium not yet seen in the international markets. (e.g. a rare Wuyi rock tea retails from GBP3,000 per 500g upwards in China)
This is supported by a traditionally strong, local demand, and fine teas’ associated social status in China. A gift of precious tea is considered one of the most luxurious gifts, and represents the sender’s taste and appreciation for fine teas.
As a result, the tea industry in China (and Japan) has always predominantly been for domestic consumption, leaving the export market to remain small in comparison, and often at the lower end of spectrum in terms of quality.
In fact, the tea export industry is still young. Prior to China joining WTO in the 1980s, there was no meaningful tea trade between China and outside world. After the liberalisation of trade restrictions, tea connoisseurs soon started to “rediscover” the joys of craft teas. At Jade Tea, we were fortunate to be one of first companies to take high quality handcrafted teas outside China and we have witnessed the growing demand since our inception in 1986.
Outside China, consumers and importers are heavily reliant on a small group of local wholesalers for quality control. At Jade Tea, our direct trade approach ensures that we are sourcing the best quality teas we can get through:
1. An in-house tea evaluation team, permanently based at the source
This is quite important - having a constant ear and eyes on the ground means that we get firsthand, unfiltered news from tea growers themselves all year round.
Every batch of tea undergoes at least three separate evaluations - two at the point of origin, and one in the destination market before being handed over to our clients. All teas are tasted by our experienced in-house evaluators.
2. Working closely with partner tea farms right from the start - listening, talking, inspecting and collaborating
It's very hard to find a tea producer that clears all our standards from the start.
That is why as well as building a network of tea gardens which we have worked closely with over past 30 years, we are constantly building new relationships with talented craftspeople, exploring new terroir, and at times experimenting with new crafting methods together with local growers.
Our collaborative style of partnership has yielded some fruitful new innovative approaches to tea crafting, which have been patented in Japan and China.
3. Scale matters
Growing top quality teas requires skills and a financial commitment from the independent tea producers. Without a viable distribution channel, local artisan producers would not risk growing premium teas they may not sell. With an established channel in Japan and China, over the years; our partners continue to approach us with their best produce.
]]>Fortunately, the century old culture and craftsmanship remains to this day, albeit only in select regions of the world.
Today, we see three common traits that define a good craft tea.
1. Tea cultivar
The cultivar defines the unique aroma and taste profile of a tea. Each cultivar is selectively bred for its desirable characteristics.
Over the last few hundred years, tea producers in Asia (China and Japan in particular) have been experimenting with tea cultivars, creating a plethora of cultivars with each maintaining and/or improving on its precursors.
Benefiting from this great diversity and variety, teas from this region attract more tea connoisseurs than any other part of the world.
2. Terroir
Terroir is the natural habitat where teas are grown; and it plays a crucial role in the final taste of the tea.
This concept is analogous with other crop based drinks such as wine and whiskey. At the granular level, teas grown on one mountain hill will differ in taste from another one grown in the neighbouring village. Even with the same cultivar.
The significance of terroir is such that, from our customers we see an ever growing attention to the tea's point of origin.
3. Craftsmanship
Perhaps one of the most overlooked elements is craft.
Both cultivar and terroir create desirable characteristics inside a leaf, and craftsmanship unlocks those innate natural characteristics.
Good craftsmanship not only teases out the natural aromas and tastes, it enhances them through multiple steps in the crafting process. In fact, regular competitions are frequently organised in tea growing regions to identify; and nurture talented craftspeople at a local and regional level.
So, a well crafted tea is about the balance between nature and craftsmanship - an accidental relationship discovered centuries ago, and one that continues to evolve.
]]>You may have noticed changes in taste when you infuse the same tea in water from two different locations. Here we look at two important factors in choosing the right water for infusing delicate teas.
1. Mineral content
The amount of dissolved solids can have an effect on the tea's taste. In more technical terms, this is defined as total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS can create a negative taste in the water such as a bitter or salty taste, residue, films or precipitates.
Perhaps the most relevant TDS compounds for tea are calcium and magnesium salts. Water with high concentration of these compounds are known as hard water. Teas made with hard water (i.e. high concentrations of calcium and magnesium salts) have an off-taste; which precipitates around the ring of the cup, and most will impact the flavour compounds of the tea in the brew.
Note: there are two types of hard water - temporary and permanent hard water. Calcium and magnesium carbonate containing water are called temporary because these are removed on boiling. In comparison, calcium and magnesium sulphates form permanent hard water and require active filtration to remove.
For best results, one should choose a water that does not contains too much calcium and magnesium salts - often referred to as soft water.
2. Aeration
Water contains molecules of dissolved oxygen and a high concentration of dissolved oxygen makes water taste “crisp”. On the other hand, low levels of oxygen makes water taste “dull”. Boiling water repeated will cause dissolved oxygen to evaporate off and the water will become increasingly “dull”. Therefore, take care not to repeatedly boil the water used for making an infusion.
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It is true that all teas can come from one plant, but this is a little deceptive because although they may come from the same species - C. Sinensis, not all are from the same variety. In fact, most of the industrialised tea farms grow teas from C. Sinensis var. assamica, whereas many traditional small tea farms use C. Sinensis var. sinensis.
Why is this important? The type of varietal used for production plays a profound role in the tea's appearance, taste and aroma.
Typical assamica leaves are larger than their cousin sinensis, and have more bitterness and astringency. Compare Assam from India made with leaves from var. assamica with a black tea from Fujian, China made with var. sinensis and you will instantly notice the difference.
Over the past hundreds of years, small tea farmers in China, Japan and Taiwan have cultivated tea plants based on their individual characteristics. This long experimentation with nature has resulted in a plethora of cultivars and thousands of beautiful tasting teas, each with their own unique qualities.
We have curated a small selection of the old and new cultivars for you to sample in our Single Origin collection.
]]>To put it simply, if one day you happened to convince a tea master to produce the same type of tea from the same cultivars but from bushes grown in a neighbouring village, you would undoubtedly taste, smell and see a difference in the final product.
This makes each single origin tea unique, and virtually irreproducible in another region. At Jade Tea, we like to call this Nature's signature on tea.
In Taiwan, the same cultivar grown on a particular mountain is said to have a different “sense of place” (Shan-qi) to any other, simply because teas “absorb” the environment in which they were grown.
Some very experienced local tasters can distinguish the mountains of origin by sampling the tea, however, one would have to drink a lot of tea from that region to discern the relationship...
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